Lidar measurements on aerosol characteristics at the tropical stations Trivandrum (8.33° N, 77° E) and Gadanki (13.5° N, 79.2° E)

Lidar has proven to be an effective instrument for obtaining high resolution profiles of atmospheric aerosols. In this work we present the characteristics of the atmospheric aerosols derived using the range dependent lidar ratio values at the two tropical stations namely Trivandrum (8.33° N, 77° E), India and Gadanki (13.5° N, 79.2° E), India. Summer aerosol properties at the two stations are studied and compared. The nature and optical properties of aerosols are found to be different at the two stations and shows temporal and altitude variability.